Things to remember to do...

It's a busy time of year for landscape professionals, moving from late summer into autumn, so I thought I'd give you a quick reminder of a few things that you can take care of for your customer to ensure that their gardens look their best.

1. Drain down the irrigation system before the winter; the plants don't need the water. For tap-based systems, switch off the water supply, remove the controller, shake out the water and take it inside and let the water out of the filter unit.
2. Check garden lighting over properly; inspect cables and fittings for damage, check the lamps still work, check the switch still operates the lights and if it runs on a dusk sensor or timer, adjust this to suit the winter hours.
3. Consider whether the garden lighting system needs to be overhauled or added to, as the garden has evolved and developed over the years.
4. If your client hasn't got lighting then now is the time to install it so that they can look out onto their garden during the long winter months. They get a professional lighting systems and you do a bit more business with them, a win-win
5. Check pond pumps, clean out the filters and replace UV lamps if necessary.
6. Invest in an Oase PondoVac (or get each of you clients to) and you can remove the sludge and debris from the bottom of the pond.
7. Fit a pond cover net over water features for the next couple of months or until the leaves have fallen. That way, your clients water feature won't become clogged with leaves.

By being proactive and not waiting until something has gone wrong, these easy fixes help your client, save them money and help your business at the same time.